Surveilled by your partner – when love turns to obsession

A surveillance app was installed on Tanja's mobile phone – presumably by her partner. This gave the perpetrator access to her messages, photos and even phone calls. Experts call this digital violence.

In most cases, it is men who use technology to monitor their partners. Their aim: to control and exert power. Leonie Tanczer, a professor at the Institute of Computer Science at University College London, warns that smart home applications, such as smart TVs or app-controlled light and doorbell systems, are making surveillance much easier and, at the same time, more comprehensive. At the FH Campus Wien, Magdalena Habringer is researching the consequences of digital violence. She reports that the desperation of those affected can become so acute that they commit suicide.

‘NZZ Format’ on a new form of domestic violence in an increasingly networked world.

More NZZ Format projects: